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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

Today's (March 11) tragic 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan appears to have spared the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) facilities, including the Tanegashima Space Center and Tsukuba Space Center, though there are unconfirmed reports of the latter having suffered a roof collapse.

JAXA has not yet released an official statement but reports from Twitter have offered some news. It is night now in Japan, but one tweet reported that earlier when it was still light, the Tanegashima Space Center webcam seemed to show they were okay.

And a flight controller for the International Space Station reported seven hours ago of hearing from his JAXA counterparts.

Fortunately our Japanese counterparts are okay and were able to talk with us briefly through voice loops but have since evacuated.

My thoughts and concern for all who were affected, especially those who lost loved ones among the hundreds reported dead and missing.

Robert Pearlman

According to NASA, Houston Mission Control has taken over temporarily control of the Japanese systems on the International Space Station.

As it happens, several of the flight control team members and flight directors from the Tsukuba Space Center were in Houston for Expedition 27 preparations. They have set up in the integrated management control center at Johnson Space Center to help provide continuity for their on-orbit activities.

Further, per an inquiry by space station commander Scott Kelly, no assigned crew members were scheduled to be in Japan for training.

Robert Pearlman

Photos showing damage to the HTV Mission Control building in Tsukuba, Japan: